How we wish to be cited:
Lökk J. Monocarbon metabolism – between conception and death [debate]. Rondel 2003; 14. URL: http://www.rondellen.net

Monocarbon metabolism
 Between conception and death

Folate deficiency and cobalamin deficiency are disastrous in start and stop of life. These deficiencies are associated with involuntary infertility, miscarriages, neural tube defects (cf 1). During the last decile of life, about every second individual is affected by deficiency with varying impact on health and quality of life (cf 2).

Previous authors have suggested that folate fortification and folate supplementation might increase the incidence of twinning (3); multiple births bear more complications than single births. Thus, the advantages of folate could decrease or even turn negative at a population level. Now a population-based cohort study from China on 242, 015 pregnancies indicates that the fear for twinning is overrated (4).

The association between aging and deficiency of cobalamin and folate are well known by now (cf 2). A randomized cross-sectional British study confirmed the association mentioned (5). The deficiency states appear to strike elderly Britons approximately as often as elderly Swedes (cf 2). The British paper suggests a correlation between deficiency states and poverty.

Johan Lökk

References

  1. Gräsbeck R. Infertility – folate, cobalamin and other micronutrients [evaluation]. Rondel 2002; 10. URL: http://www.rondellen.net/evaluation10_eng.htm
  2. Hultdin J. High homocysteine levels in elderly [editorial]! Rondel 2003; 14. URL: http://www.rondellen.net/objective14_eng.htm
  3. Matthews F, Murphy M, Wald NJ, Hackshaw A. Twinning and folic acid use. Lancet 1999;353:291-2
  4. Li Z, Gindler J, Wang H, Berry RJ, Li S, Correa A, Zheng J, Erickson D, Wang Y. Folic acid supplements during early pregnancy and likelihood of multiple births: a population-based cohort study. Lancet 2003; 361:380-4
  5. Bates CJ, Schneede J, Mishra G, Prentice A, Mansoor MA. Relationship between methylmalonic acid, homocysteine, vitamin B12 intake and status and socio-economic indices, in a subset of participants in the British National Diet and Nutrition Survey of people aged 65 and over. Eur J Clin Nutr 2003; 57:349-57

Published March 19, 2003